The Intimacy Escalation
by Angelic Guardian
Summary: Amy felt drunk. Sheldon couldn't describe what he was feeling. Oneshot. Immediate aftermath of the big moment in The Locomotive Manipulation.


**Author's Note: **I'm still on a high after watching The Locomotive Manipulation. I've only seen the episode itself twice, but as for that kiss… Yeah, I've easily lost count, haha. ;)

This is my take on what happened after the kiss. Not much of a plot, really. Just sort of a mess of thoughts and feelings. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: **The Big Bang Theory © Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady

* * *

><p>Amy felt drunk.<p>

She was scarcely aware of anything happening around her as she followed Sheldon through each train car to the engine room. Her senses were simultaneously heightened and numbed, a physical contradiction, yet the pounding in her chest and lightness of her footsteps made it all the more a reality.

When Sheldon opened the door to the engine room and turned to her, Amy jerked her shoulders back and heard her own breath leave her in a gush of air. She was frozen, her mouth ajar, her eyes wide, while Sheldon stood there calmly, the most composed and gentlemanly she'd ever seen him. His head was bent, his eyes locked on her, and in that moment, she'd never felt so small, so inexplicably fragile.

"Thank you," she said, her voice still as soft as it was just moments ago.

"You're welcome," he replied, his tone matching hers, if not even more gentle.

A beat of hesitation, and finally she moved, gliding past him into the engine room. Sheldon stood, staring after her, breathing quietly, though barely. He still had the stinging taste of wine on his tongue, yet even more overpowering was the rich taste of chocolate he'd tasted on Amy's lips. They'd kissed before, but never like this. This was something new. It was exhilarating. It was overwhelming. It was incomparable to any emotion he'd ever felt in his life.

Warmth suddenly spread through the pit of his stomach, and he pursed his lips and swallowed. What had come over him in that moment? Every single one of his inhibitions had left him the moment his lips pressed to hers. His anger had dissipated as he gradually found himself sinking deeper into the kiss. It was a feeling of sheer ecstasy, a fire awakening inside of him, pulling him closer to her. He felt drunk from the feeling, and he couldn't make any sense of it. All he knew was that he wanted to be with her.

"Hey, thanks for holding the door open for me, pal!"

Sheldon's stomach dropped. He whipped his head back to find his train-loving friend ambling towards him, his hand raised in a greeting and a large smile on his face.

Quickly composing himself, Sheldon raised his shoulders and gave him a nod. "Yes. No problem…um…"

He trailed off, staring blankly at his new friend, who dropped his hand. It dawned on him in that moment that he couldn't, for the life of him, remember his name. What on earth was it? He didn't even have a remote idea. How was it even possible that he couldn't recall a person's name, when he could remember every little detail of what had just happened between himself and Amy? The way his hands found her waist of their own accord. The dizzying sensations he'd felt while their lips meshed together. The way she'd spoken, so softly, after he pulled away from her.

_"That was nice."_

_"Good."_

He shuddered involuntarily and shook his head hard, refocusing his attention. "I'm…I'm sorry, what's your name again?"

The smile on his friend's face dropped. "Seriously?"

"I want to say…" He decided to take a wild guess. "…Jimmy?"

He stared at him. "It's Eric."

"Eric," Sheldon immediately repeated. "Yes. I knew that."

"Really? 'Cause it sure doesn't seem like it."

"Well, I did," Sheldon said defensively. He waved him inside with his free hand. "Now, hop to it, pal. The conductor's waiting."

Eric remained unconvinced, still wearing that blank expression on his face as he walked past Sheldon, who finally entered the room as well, only to see his girlfriend standing right there with a salacious grin on her face. He slowed in his tracks but kept his gaze on her, stricken over how lovely she looked.

Likewise, Amy was thinking the very same thing about him. She was on cloud nine and nothing could take it away from her. She'd never felt so close to him as she did right now, and she wondered if he felt it, too, the spark of heat, this new found vulnerability. She wished the feeling could last forever.

This time, to her surprise, he didn't walk ahead of her, and instead fell in tow with her stride as they headed over to meet the conductor, a friendly man with only nine fingers who Amy later learned did, in fact, have the very same pocket watch as Sheldon.

As the conductor began to show them around, Sheldon swiftly came to life, a bright smile gracing his face and his eyes alight as he took in his surroundings. Every once in a while, he'd glance over at Amy to gauge her reaction, and she'd smile at him, finding his excitement undeniably contagious.

Of course, it wasn't the first time he'd managed to draw such intense emotions out of her. She recalled last Valentine's Day, in which he'd awarded her the right to be his emergency contact. The jubilation she'd felt in that moment was similar to the way Sheldon was behaving now. She loved seeing him smile, a real, carefree, genuine smile. It was gorgeous. It made her feel alive. She was struck with a burst of euphoria, and in that moment, it became painstakingly clear to her that she was absolutely, desperately and wholeheartedly in love with this brilliant man.

The realization consumed her. It was overwhelming but wonderful, the adrenaline pumping through her veins and the heat she felt coursing throughout her entire body, all the way up to her head and down to her toes. She wanted to blurt it out right then and there, to hug him, to kiss him deeply and wrap her arms around the back of his neck. She was beside herself.

"Isn't this amazing, Amy?" he asked, turning to her again, still with that joyous grin on his face.

Amy stared up at him, unable to speak, her head feeling as light as a feather. So, instead, she nodded, grinning just as widely. She noticed how his smile weakened ever so slightly, the way his pupils fleetingly expanded, pulsing out and back in again. Did he feel it, too?

He was, in fact, feeling something in that moment, though he couldn't even begin to describe what it was. His mind was clouded, and he was no longer sure if it was because of the stimulation from being on this train, or plain and simply, because of Amy. It was like he was seeing her in a whole new light, noticing things he'd never truly noticed before, the vividness of her green eyes, her long, shiny hair, those lips of hers he'd just tasted and felt the strong urge to taste again. He'd never felt more attracted to her, not only mentally, but emotionally and _physically._

The rest of the time they spent together in the engine room was a blur.

Later, when Sheldon and Amy returned to their long forgotten table, they found that Howard and Bernadette were seated there once again. Sheldon's friend, Eric, was still following them, though Amy no longer minded that he was there, and Sheldon, frankly, no longer even seemed to notice.

"Welcome back," Bernadette greeted as they all took their respective seats. She settled her gaze on Amy and immediately noticed that something was different about her. She was glowing. "You guys were gone a pretty long time. Is everything okay now?"

"Yes," Amy and Sheldon said in unison.

They both froze and looked at one another in a stunned silence. Their eyes were locked so intensely that Amy felt herself blush, the heat blooming across her face. In spite of everything, she couldn't stop smiling, while Sheldon simply couldn't take his eyes off of her.

They were in their own little world, and seeing this, Howard and Bernadette shared their own furtive glance.

"Uh…did we miss something?" Howard asked.

Sheldon's gaze lingered on Amy, on her mouth, when finally he snapped out of it and looked at Howard, clearing his throat.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," he said. "You missed quite the enlightening experience in which the conductor shared some fascinating train knowledge with us. I believe I can say with confidence that if that fellow were ever to keel over, I'd be able to take over and safely bring the train through a crossing. Come to think of it, Amy would, too." Suddenly, he hesitated, before looking at her again. "Right?"

"Right."

And thus, the staring continued. Funny how he'd mocked her with the ridiculous notion of romantically gazing into each other's eyes, and now, it was like he'd fallen under a spell.

"And me too, guys," Eric said. "I was there, too."

"Right, Kenneth," Sheldon said.

_"Eric."_

"Eric," he parroted.

"Okay, what the _hell_ is going o—_o__w!"_

Howard's cry of pain was enough to finally break Sheldon and Amy out of their trance. They looked at the couple sitting across from them, though Bernadette had let go of her husband's ear before they had a chance to notice, and she was now stroking his hair and smiling innocently. She looked away long enough to meet Amy's eyes, and a moment of understanding passed between them.

The rest of the evening went by with ease. The dreamlike state Amy had found herself in had since dissolved into satisfied contentment. When they reached Napa Valley, they bid a disgruntled Eric farewell for the time being, and the conductor joined them at the Bed and Breakfast for some jaunty banjo playing. Howard and Bernadette stayed for a while, their arms wrapped around each other and Bernadette's head resting on Howard's shoulder. Finally, they said goodnight as well, retiring to their room, and the conductor was last to leave, heading back to the train.

By the end of the night, Sheldon and Amy were left alone in the hotel hallway, as Sheldon had insisted on walking Amy to her door despite their rooms being on the same floor. They stopped in front of the door, turning to each other. Sheldon had since taken off his suit jacket and tie and rolled up his sleeves, making him feel much more relaxed and comfortable, while Amy was still wearing her floral dress and green cardigan, the very one that Sheldon had felt against his palms.

Amy reached up, skimming her fingers through her hair. "So…I'll see you in the morning?"

"Of course," Sheldon replied, his voice a sweet cadence, melting Amy to her core and bringing yet another smile to her face. Then, something changed, and he looked down almost bashfully. "Amy?"

Her hand slipped away, her smile slipping a little, too. She could feel her heartbeat picking up, her nerves bubbling up and bringing an anxious feeling to the surface. Was this the moment she was dreading, in which he'd voice his regret for kissing her? Would he tell her that it was a one time slip-up, a moment of weakness that would never happen again? Or worse, would he decide to end it all, that it was too much for him to handle, the pressure, the fear of these new emotions, that he would never be able to give her the intimacy she longed for?

"Thank you," he said, surprising her so much that she blinked and parted her lips. He smiled, his eyes flashing back up to her, a coy look that made her heart flip altogether. "This truly was the best Valentine's Day ever."

She smiled back, relief rushing over her like a warm breeze tickling her cheeks. "It was."

A moment passed in which neither of them moved, their arms hanging at their sides, their eyes raking each other freely, almost hungrily, when, in a surge of bravery, Amy lifted her hand and reached out to her boyfriend.

_Please don't pull away, _she thought, watching in reserved amazement as he stood perfectly still, even as her hand clasped against his cheek. His eyes fluttered shut in a surrender to her touch. Her fingertips grazed his face, over his jaw, beneath his chin, before she released him.

"Goodnight," she said. _I love you._

He opened his eyes, his heart beating ferociously in his chest as he gazed into the wondrous eyes of this remarkable woman, his beloved Amy, the only person who continued to mystify him, strengthen him, terrify him, allure him. She made him feel like anything was possible, that he could conquer any fear and explore new parts of himself, only with her. He knew that from this moment on, things wouldn't quite be the same, that something had changed in him, or maybe even in both of them, and while it was scary, he would find a way to embrace it, one day. For her.

"Goodnight," he said. _I love you, too._

That night, they dreamt of each other.


End file.
